Cutting speed limits to 20mph does save lives

Dear Editor, In a letter published on April 8, Peter Roberts criticised a recent call for 20mph speed limits around Birmingham by stating that “4.7 per cent of casualties are the result of people speeding”.

Dear Editor, In a letter published on April 8, Peter Roberts criticised a recent call for 20mph speed limits around Birmingham by stating that “4.7 per cent of casualties are the result of people speeding”.

Mr Roberts does not realise that this only supports the case for 20mph limits as, according to his statistics, 95.3 per cent of casualties are caused by drivers travelling at or below the current legal limit, clearly demonstrating that this limit is dangerous.

Mr Roberts claims the majority of road accidents are caused by “drivers not concentrating and failing to look properly”. If this is the case, reducing the speed limit on residential roads to 20mph would result in far fewer deaths and serious injuries as these collisions would occur at lower speed. If drivers were travelling at 20mph instead of 30 or 40 they would also be able to stop over a shorter distance, again reducing casualties.

The 20mph schemes in North Lanarkshire, enforced with nothing more than road signs, have led to a significant reduction in casualties without the need for traffic calming measures.

Similar results have been seen with 20mph schemes all over the UK, clearly demonstrating that this is an effective strategy for saving lives. If it has worked elsewhere, why not in Birmingham?